Disposable template

ABSTRACT

A template is provided by a plate with outwardly extending tubular members, the tips of which may be connected by extrapolation to define the outer limits of the space. The tubular members are light weight and flexible and are fixedly positioned by rubber cement interposed between the plate and the tubular members. The plate is formed from a section of the packing carton used for the article to be positioned in the space, the tubular members are formed from straws and legs are provided with telescoping sections to support the plate; all of these materials being light weight and disposable. An edge portion conforms to at least a portion of one boundry of the space, and reference markings on the edge portion and at the tips of the straws provide for accomplishing the desired fit.

United States Patent 11 1 Muller [451 Jan. 21, 1975 1 DISPOSABLE TEMPLATE .[76] Inventor: Albert F. Muller, 7713 Dublin Dr.,

Camp Springs, Md. 20023 [22] Filed: Aug. 7, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 62,016

[52] U.S. Cl. 33/175, 33/174 G [51] Int. Cl. GOlb 5/20 [58] Field 01 Search 33/174 G, 175, 176, 194,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 250,835 12/1881 Osenburg 33/176 2,334,385 11/1943 Cooper 33/175 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Walkers Basic Pattern Measure, Claudia Walker, PO. Box 3189, San Francisco, Calif., Copyright 1954.

Primary Examiner-Harry N. Haroian Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lowe, King & Price [57] ABSTRACT A template is provided by a plate with outwardly extending tubular members, the tips of which may be connected by extrapolation to define the outer limits of the space. The tubular members are light weight and flexible and are fixedly positioned by rubber cement interposed between the plate and the tubular members. The plate is formed from a section of the packing carton used for the article to be positioned in the space, the tubular members are formed from straws and legs are provided with telescoping sections to support the plate; all of these materials being light weight and disposable. An edge portion conforms to at least a portion of one boundry of the space, and reference markings on the edge portion and at the tips of the straws provide for accomplishing the desired fit.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures DISPOSABLE TEMPLATE The present invention relates to templates for measuring spaces, and more particularly, to a template completely formed of inexpensive, disposable materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is necessary in fitting an article in 'a space to be covered to first measure the space so that the article may be cut to size. In a situation where the space is a perfect polygon, this may be adequately done with a conventional tape; the longitudinal and transverse measurements being taken and then plotted on the article whereupon the article can then be cut to size. However, in many cases the article is to be positioned in a space having an irregular outline or boundry. In such a situation, it is impossible to accurately and conveniently take a number of measurements and plot these on the article to be fabricated.

One such instance where an irregular article is to be accurately fitted to a space is a car bed of the type used to occupy the rear seat and floor space of a sedan vehicle. It is desired to make the car bed as dimensionally close as possible to the space being filled so that small youngsters or articles placed on the bed will not be subject to falling to the seat or floor of the car. Thus, the car bed must be out exactly to fit the contour of the upright portion of the front and back seats and the sides of the car. Other spaces where difficult measurements are encountered when making or cutting articles to size will readily occur to one skilled in the art; for example, closet and bathroom rugs, drawer and cabinet linings and similar articles.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved template adapted for outlining a space for receipt of an article.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a template for this purpose, that is low cost, light weight and disposable in nature.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a template utilizing materials that may be provided with the article and that are simple to assemble for use by the consumer thereby making professional installation of the article unnecessary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the template of the present invention is fabricated from a cardboard plate with a plurality of finger members extending in a planar fashion outwardly from the plate and defining by the tips thereof by extrapolation therebetween the outer limits of the space being gauged. The plate may be provided with legs to support the template in the desired relationship with respect to the space, such as when utilizing the template to delineate a car bed. The legs may be formed of telescoping cardboard tubes and the finger members may be formed of small tubular members, such as drinking straws, thereby making the entire template of a low cost construction and readily disposable. Also, the materials are flexible, either cardboard, paperboard or plastic, so that removing the template from the area being engaged may be accomplished without difficulty and any obstructions that would later prevent easy entry of the article itself may be noted.

To fixedly secure the straws in position on the plate as well as to fix the legs and attach the same to the plate, the invention contemplates use of a suitable cement. A fast drying rubber cement is preferred since it may be conveniently applied to the plate in globules and after application the straws may be positioned and then held only momentarily until they are securely fixed in position.

The invention further contemplates the use of markings on the ends of the straws to denote any departure from the exact outer configuration of the space being gauged. For example, if it is desired to have the article spaced a small distance from the limits to provide a loose fit, then markings may be made spaced an equal distance from the ends, as desired. An edge portion of the plate is designed to mate with one side of the space to reduce the number delineating fingers needed. Markings are provided along the edge portion at the points where extrapolation is to begin when cutting the article.

Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein I have shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention; simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by me of carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the template of the present invention positioned in a space being delineated;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a template positioned in the particular environment of the rear seat of an automobile where a car bed is to be installed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, perspective view of the tubular member to be utilized as a delineating finger on the template; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an article cut in accordance with and by extrapolation from the template of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference now specifically to FIG. I of the drawings, a more detailed description of one particular template 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention may be specifically described. In particular, a plate 11 is shown with a plurality of finger members 12 extending outwardly therefrom and in substantial planar relationship therewith. A globule of cement, such as a fast drying rubber cement, is provided at 13 to permanently cause the finger members 12 to adhere in position on the plate 11 once having been located.

The space being gauged is exemplified by the opening 15 outlined in FIG. 1. As is clear from viewing FIG. 2, the space 15 is or may be a horizontal space consisting of that space between the back of front seat 16, the front of back seat 17 and the sides of an automobile. As pointed out above, this use of the template 10 is exemplary of one use of the invention and is for cutting out of a car bed A of the universal type (see FIG. 4) to fit the needs of the particular automobile.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the plate 11 is supported above the floor surface by a plurality of legs 20. The legs may be fabricated from any commercially available stiff material, such as cardboard tubing, said legs having telescoping sections suitably connected together by any means, such as a bead 21 of fast drying cement. Legs 20 may be purchased as a set or separately from a supplier or individually fabricated by a user as desired. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear seat of the automobile has been removed to provide maximum storage space S underneath the car bed to be placed in the automobile; however, it is to be understood that such is merely a matter of personal choice since the template may be originally positioned at any height desired.

An important point is that all of the materials utilized in making the template 10 are light weight and low cost, and thus disposable, and at the same time are simple in structure and capable of easy assembly by the average car owner. In particular, the plate 11 is preferably a portion of the side of the packing carton that has been outlined by the car bed manufacturer to fit the major portion of the space over the back seat intended. In other words and as an example, the plate 11 made to fit a medium size car, will be laid out or drawn on the side of the cardboard shipping carton for the car bed and will be of a size to fit within the smallest space anticipated, while at the same time being large enough to occupy the major portion of the space to minimize the necessary length of the finger members 12. To further conserve material and time, at least a part of one edge portion of the plate 11 may be utilized to abut one boundary of the space, as between markings 25, 26, shown in FIG. 1. In the instance of using the template 10 for a car bed, this is usually the central portion of the back of the front seat, as shown, and the markings 25, 26 mark the point wherein deviation from this straight line is to be utilized in the extrapolation.

Thus, to utilize the template 10 to make a car bed, the first step is to cut out the plate 11 from the shipping carton and to adjust and apply the legs 20. The assembly is then positioned in the car and abutted against the back of the front seat 16 (see FIG. 2). Beginning then on the right hand side of FIG. 1, once the plate 11 has been placed in position, the mark 26 is made as shown at the point of departure from the boundry of the space 15. Then following along the constant curve to the right of the back of the front seat and if there are no irregular points along the way as shown, the first finger member 12a is positioned so that the tip of the same falls in the corner between the back of the front seat and the side of the car. The finger member is first placed in position as an initial alignment. The globule of cement 13a is placed on the plate 11, the final alignment of the finger member 12a is made and then held momentarily, whereupon when released it is held in permanent position. Now, the side of the car is followed until the next point of deviation from substantially a straight line is encountered, and in this case this would be where finger member 12b is positioned in the same manner as before. The placement of finger members 120 and 12d then follows as before on a free selection basis, i.e., without any preset positions or plans and governed only by the judgment of the user as to the need to delineate the irregularities. It can be seen that half of the back of the front seat 16 and one side including the usual armrest is defined by the points thus laid out simply by extrapolation between the mark 26 and tips of finger members 12a -l2d. This procedure is continued around the full periphery of the space 15 until finally the mark 25 is added to the plate 11. One can soon realize that upon the removal of the template II from the space 15, the outline of space 15 is preserved and the article being out can thus be laid out with ease.

As the template 10 is being removed from the position for the car bed A, not is made of any obstruction that might interfere with the ease of introduction and removal later. Since the plate 11 and the finger members 12 are flexible, this procedure is possible without damaging the automobile or the template and obstructions may be discovered merely by the flexure of the members 12 as said obstructions are engaged.

As shown in FIG. 3, limit markings 30 may be made on the finger members 12 in some instances. For example, where a certain fitting tolerance is desired, that is where a snug fit is not needed, a selected short distance 1 will be marked from the tip of each member 12 to give an accurate spacing around the full periphery. Thus, prior to layout of the car bed A shown in FIG. 4, the finger members 12 are merely cut off at the markings 30 whereupon extrapolation is carried out from the new tips of the members 12. Also, upon noting an obstruction, as set forth in the previous paragraph, the particular finger member 12 involved may be reduced in length whereupon the departure from the exact space 15 is minimized.

The car bed A in FIG. 4 is shown after being laid out and cut in accordance with the points determined by the template 10. The operator may extrapolate between the points mentally or by using appropriate guide edges as desired, By adding more or less members 12, the process may be more or less precise as the situation best suits the particular car bed A.

From the foregoing, the advantages gained from utilizing the template 10 of the present invention can be seen. First, the template 10 is fabricated with the concept of being disposable after the single use and employs components that lend themselves to ease of use, low cost and accurate gauging of any space 15 desired. The use of cement 13 to position the finger members 12 greatly reduces the overall cost of the template 10 and yet provides for the permanent placement of said members 12. Employment of the gauge markings 25, 26, 30 and supporting legs 20 further add to the refinement of the template 10 of the invention.

In this disclosure, there is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, but, as aforementioned, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments, such as on floors or linings for cabinets as mentioned above, and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein. Such modifications could take the form, for example, of internal spaces in the plate 11 for defining the floor space occupied by fixtures in a bathroom. Also, the markings 30 or the tips of the finger members 12 may be translated directly to the article A by marking or drawing with extrapolation and then cutting the article by following the drawn outline.

I claim:

1. A disposable template for defining a space comprising a flat plate covering a major portion of said space, a plurality of finger means extending at freely selected locations outwardly from said plate and forming a planar extension thereof, and adhesive substance means for fixedly positioning said finger means on said plate, the tips of said finger means with extrapolation defining outer limits of said space, said adhesive substance means fixedly holding said finger means in position when the template is removed from said space, said finger means comprising light weight, flexible, tubular members substantially the size of a drinking straw.

2. A disposable template for defining a space comprising a flat plate covering a major portion of said space, a plurality of finger means extending at freely selected locations outwardly from said plate and forming a planar extension thereof, and adhesive substance means for fixedly positioning said finger means on said plate, the tips of said finger means with extrapolation defining outer limits of said space, said adhesive substance means fixedly holding said finger means in position when the template is removed from said space and means for supporting said plate including a plurality of legs substantially perpendicularly attached to the surface of said plate for positioning the same in a substantially horizontal plane.

3. The template of claim 2 wherein said legs are formed of light weight, tubular members, each leg having telescoping sections for adjustment of the height of said plate and means for locking said telescoping sections together to position the plate as desired. 

1. A disposable template for defining a space comprising a flat plate covering a major portion of said space, a plurality of finger means extending at freely selected locations outwardly from said plate and forming a planar extension thereof, and adhesive substance means for fixedly positioning said finger means on said plate, the tips of said finger means with extrapolation defining outer limits of said space, said adhesive substance means fixedly holding said finger means in position when the template is removed from said space, said finger means comprising light weight, flexible, tubular members substantially the size of a drinking straw.
 2. A disposable template for defining a space comprising a flat plate covering a major portion of said space, a plurality of finger means extending at freely selected locations outwardly from said plate and forming a planar extension thereof, and adhesive substance means for fixedly positioning said finger means on said plate, the tips of said finger means with extrapolation defining outer limits of said space, said adhesive substance means fixedly holding said finger means in position when the template is removed from said space and means for supporting said plate including a plurality of legs substantially perpendicularly aTtached to the surface of said plate for positioning the same in a substantially horizontal plane.
 3. The template of claim 2 wherein said legs are formed of light weight, tubular members, each leg having telescoping sections for adjustment of the height of said plate and means for locking said telescoping sections together to position the plate as desired. 